Pope, in Monaco, warns against ‘idolatry of power’

IN HIS homily during a mass at the Louis II Stadium, Monaco, Pope Leo urged the congregation not to grow “accustomed to the clamour of weapons and images of war”. He also warned against idolatry: “It is a gift of grace that makes people children of God, and brothers and sisters to one another. This gift sheds light on our present; for the wars that stain it with blood are the fruit of the idolatry of power and money.”

Christian Aid condemns Israel for death penalty

THE Knesset in Israel on Monday passed a new law, by 62 to 48, to make the death penalty the default sentence for Palestinians convicted of deadly terrorist attacks. The Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, voting in favour. The BBC reported that while, in theory, Jewish Israelis could also be executed under the law, in practice this almost certainly would not happen, as the death penalty could be carried out only where the intention behind the attack was to “negate the existence of the state of Israel”. Christian Aid said that the law would “entrench Israel’s lethal discrimination against Palestinians”. The charity’s Head of Middle East Advocacy, William Bell, said: “The legislation establishes a system of discriminatory capital punishment which we believe will be applied exclusively to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Palestinians in the West Bank are subject to military jurisdiction, while Israeli settlers are tried in civilian courts, which can only impose the death penalty in extreme cases. This latest outrage is another example of the systematic discrimination meted out to Palestinians by the Israeli state.”

Food-policy coalition launched in Kenya

SEVERAL organisations in Kenya, including the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), have established the Food Policy Coalition Kenya, “to advance stronger food environment policies and address the growing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)”. In a statement published last Friday, Food Policy Coalition Kenya stated that the group’s aim “is to provide a coordinated platform for evidence-based advocacy, policy engagement, and public accountability on food environment reforms”. It also called on the Ministry of Health and Parliament to prioritise the development, review, and adoption of food-policy measures: “Timely action will be central in addressing existing gaps and protecting populations, particularly children, from harmful food environments.”

EU envoy for religious freedom appointed

AFTER a year-long vacancy, the European Union announced on Thursday of last week that it had a new Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), Mairead McGuinness, a former Vice-President of the European Parliament. Several EU countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania, have a national counterpart. The UK’s is David Smith, Labour MP for North Northumberland.

Skeleton of d’Artagnan may have been found

THE remains of the celebrated French musketeer Charles de Batz de Castelmore, known as Count d’Artagnan, may have been discovered under the floor of St Peter and Paul’s, Maastricht, in the Netherlands. The church’s deacon, the Revd Jos Valke, helped to unearth the skeleton and told the BBC that he was 99 per cent certain that the remains were those the Count, once a former close aide to King Louis XIV of France. D’Artagnan, whose remains were long rumoured to be buried within the church, was killed in 1673 in the Siege of Maastricht. More than 170 years later, his life was fictionalised as a companion of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis in Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Three Musketeers.

Syrian churches cancel Easter celebrations

SECTARIAN violence broke out in the Christian town of Suqaylabiyah, in western Syria, last Saturday, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. Two young Muslim men who had come from the neighbouring Muslim town of Qalaat al-Madiq started verbally harassing Christian women, CSW local sources suggested. The men were then assaulted by local Christian men, CSW’s statement says. “The young Muslims went back to their town, returned with dozens of other men on motorcycles and stormed Suqaylabiyah, attacking shops, properties and cars, and firing guns in the air.” Allegedly, the attackers also destroyed a shrine of the Virgin Mary in the town. CSW’s founder president, Mervyn Thomas, condemned the violence. “We encourage the Syrian authorities to increase their efforts to combat extremism and hate speech, and hold all involved in the attacks on Suqaylabiyah, especially those within its ranks, to account,” he said.

Change to United States military chaplains’ uniforms

THE United States’ military chaplains are display their religious affiliation instead of wearing their rank insignia, the Washington daily The Hill reports. The Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, announced the changes on Tuesday of last week. In a video posted to social media, Mr Hegseth said: “A chaplain is first and foremost a chaplain and an officer second. This change is a visual representation of that fact, specifically unique to the role of a chaplain. They are first and foremost called and ordained by God.”